Fjre-escape



(N0 Mddel.) I

E. PAINTER.

.PIRE ESCAPE.

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WITNESSES UNITED STATES EDXVARD PAINTER, OF EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 304,850, dated September 9, 1884.

Application filed January 24, 1884. (No model.)

1'0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known-that I, EDWARD PAINTER, of Easthampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of fire escapes in which buckets are fastened to endless chains, cables, or bands.

The invention consists in a fire-escape constructed of two endless chains, cables, or bands passed over notched wheels mounted on shafts journaled at the top and bottom of the building, the said chains being united by cross-rods and by buckets hung on the chains. The buckets have upwardly-projecting bent arms, as and for the purposes that will be fully set forth hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a face View of my improved fireescape, parts being broken out. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, parts being broken out.

Shafts A and B are j ournaled at the top and bottom of a building, and on each shaft two wheels, 0, are rigidly mounted,which are provided with a beveled flange, O, on the inner edge, the said flange being provided with a series of notches, d.

Over each pair of corresponding wheels, 0, on the top and bottom shaft an endless chain, D, is passed, the chains being united by crossbars E. Midway between each two crossbars a basket, F, is hung between the chains, the

said baskets being made of metal, wire-cloth, or other suitable material,and havingsuitable pivots formed on the ends of their frames. The baskets are each provided at one end with an upwardly-projecting arm, G, having its end bent to project over the rim of the flange G. The distancesbetween the cross-rods E and the pivots of the baskets are all equal, and are equal to the distances the notches d in'the flange of the wheels C are separated. The baskets F are pivoted in such a manner that they always hang vertically. Those parts of the chains that move downward are located in a well formed by a partition, II, between the upwardly and downwardly moving parts of the chain. The lower shaft, B,is provided with a fixed drum or pulley, J, on which a brake-band can be applied,which brakeband is connected with a lever,'piston, or any other device for pressing it against the drum. The persons step into the baskets F, or the goods or other articles to be lowered are placed in the baskets which descend. \Vhen the chains pass over the lower wheels, the arms G catch on the rims of the wheels C, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the baskets are tilted and the contents emptied. 1

The fireeseape is perfectly safe, and, as the descending part is incloscd by the walls of the well, there is no danger of the occupants of the basket falling out. The chains are guided in vertical grooves in the sides of the well to prevent swaying of the chains.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a iire-escape, the combination, with notched wheels mounted on shafts journaled at the top and bottom of the building, of chains passed over the rims of the wheels, cross-rods uniting the chains, and of baskets pivoted to the chains, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. I11 a fire-escape, the combination, with the shafts A B, of the notched wheels 0, the endless chains D, the cross-rods E, the baskets F, hung on the chains, and the arms G, projecting upward from the baskets, substantially as herein shown and described.

Ina fire-escape, the combination, with the notched wheels mounted on shafts journaled at the top and bottom of the building, of chains passed over the rims of the wheels,

cross-rods uniting the chains, baskets pivoted 0 to the'ch ains, and mechanism for automatically causing said basket to turn on its pivots for discharging its vcontents when it reaches the bottom, substantially as described.

EDXVARD PAINTER. lVitnesses:

WVM. H. KOHLER, GEO. M. JOHNSEN. 

